Compact, densely populated, with the one of the highest unemployment rates in England, the Borough of Newham in greater London faced a significant problem. The local government needed to attract an educated, skilled workforce to build a strong economy. They also wanted to improve their ability to respond to non-emergency situations that if left unattended, affected community satisfaction and life. And yet, like communities worldwide, they were faced with a shrinking IT budget.
With the backing and support of the mayor’s office, Newham designed two unique apps that allow citizens to obtain services on demand in their own communities and neighborhoods. The first is Love Newham – a mobile app that allows citizens to report non-emergency problems in their neighborhood. From trash collection to downed trees to vandalism, citizens can report the problem through the app and get a response in minutes and a quick resolution, usually the same day. The resident logs the problem, the request is routed, using Microsoft Dynamics CRM, to the customer service center, who then sends the request to the in-vehicle tablet. Leveraging their investment in the Microsoft platform, the council has pushed productivity to the workforce in the field. Residents have noticed that neighborhoods are cleaner and safer as a result. And the government can be more efficient in how they respond to public works requirements.
The second app, which is underpinned by a self-service portal integrated into Dynamics CRM, is called My Newham, and it allows all citizens to manage their interactions with local government, from registering property and paying council tax online. A citizen can register to vote, find child care, pay for parking tickets, and update their benefits. All from their home or one of the thousands of free wifi locations around the city needing nothing more than a web brower.
Want to learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics helps communities worldwide tackle their issues? Visit our Public Sector web page for more information.